Panepinto Jewelers
Ron Panepinto Karen Panepinto-Minarcik 702 Sansom St. • Phila., PA 19106 Tel: 215-923-1980 email: info@panepintojewelers.com www.PanepintoJewelers.com
Vol. XVIII No. 17 (Issue 447)
Jim Stevenson 9371 ROOSEVELT BLVD. PHILA., PA 19114
215-698-7000 PhillyRecord
PhiladelphiaPublicRecord
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JStevenson@ChapmanAutoGroup.com
The Only Union Newspaper Reporting South/Southwest Philly The Way It Deserves
April 28, 2016
He Gave Labor Dignity And Fair Wages Samuel Staten, Sr., the man who gave dignity and family-sustaining wages to the common laborer, died Tuesday at his home here in Philadelphia, leaving behind a family which has continued his legacy of supporting and electing candidates who understood his message of lifting up the average man and his family. A viewing will be held at the Laborers’ Union Hall, 1310 Wallace, starting at 6 p.m. today, followed by a janazah at Clara Muhammad School, 47th & Wyalusing, on Friday morning. The family which made Staten the labor visionary he was began with his father Shedrick Staten, who was a founding member of the Laborers’ Union in the Philadelphia region. When the Laborers’ Union was founded in the Philadelphia area in 1929, it was the leastprestigious of the building trades and paid the lowest wages. For that reason, it was the only building trade which welcomed African Americans in those years, and it has long been a bastion of African American leadership in the labor movement.
Samuel Staten, Sr. A Benefactor To Thousands
S. Philly Rally Pays For Hillary
Sam turned out to have an aptitude for labor organizing. He spent an illustrious career in the Philadelphia Laborers, during which it is no exaggeration to say he transformed the trade and its union. Although the elder Sam Staten retired in 2008, he remained intimate with the city’s political, business and civic leaders. So Sam Staten, Jr., who carries on his father’s legacy, grew up under a long shadow. As a boy, though, the younger Staten recalls a dad who was still a journeyman laborer, coming home dirty every night. “Ours was a large family, but it was ruled with firmness,” Staten, Jr. recounts. His father was a disciplinarian. No disrespect was tolerated. Sam Staten, Sr. carried with him to his grave the loss of his son Qa’id. The 17-year-old was an outstanding senior. Just weeks from graduation and looking forward to attending Howard University, he was shot down in a robbery attempt outside a pizza shop on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 22nd Street. (Cont. Page 11)
South Philly Parishes Merged, Rev. Genito Will Be Missed The heart of Catholic South Philly missed a beat this past Sunday when congregations at St. Rita, Annunciation, and St. Nicholas were told of a major reshuffling by the Archdiocese affecting their status. All three will remain open. St. Rita of Cascia, a national shrine, will remain independent and continue to be operated by the Augustinians. The parish of St. Rita will merge with Annunciation and St. Nicholas will be in partnership, sharing priests and administration. The loss of Shrine Dir. Father Joseph A. Genito, OSA is sending repercussions throughout the huge area-wide St. Rita following.
RALLY for Hillary Clinton was held in S. Phila. hosted by Stagehands Union IATSE Local 8. Phila. Federation of Teachers co-sponsored event attended by unionists. Michael Barnes, business manager of Local 8, speaks to crowd as PFT leader Jerry Jordan, Delaware County State Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, AFT President Laurie Weingarten and City Councilwoman Helen Gym look on. Photo by Joe Stivala